On September 23 2018, China high-speed bullet trains will finally start running between Hong Kong and China making it easier to reach many destinations in China quickly. China’s high-speed train network is the largest in the world.

The trains depart from the Hong Kong West station in Kowloon. The station is located in Jordan in West Kowloon. It is between two MTR stations: Kowloon station and Austin Station.

Travelers are able to take direct trains all the way to Beijing and Shanghai. The daily trains to these two popular destinations will be a much better alternative than the old train that was only running every other day, it is also much faster with travel times of 8 and 9 hours for Beijing and Shanghai compared to 20 hours for the old trains. You have the opportunity to travel in daytime and enjoy the changing landscape from south to north.

At the time of launching, there is only one pair of trains per day between Hong Kong and Shanghai or Beijing. Depending on how popular these routes are, we could see additional trains added, especially on weekends.

Short distance

Trains to/from Shenzhen (Shenzhen North and Futian stations)

Travel time is 16 to 20 minutes with departures from 6h44 to 22h50.
Shenzhen has two stations for high-speed trains, Shenzhen north station and Futian station. It has 80 pairs of trains per day

Price
Business class: ¥226
1st class: ¥120
2nd class: ¥75

Shenzhen is a popular transfer stop to connect to major cities in China. If there is no direct train from Hong Kong to the city that you wish to visit, or the tickets are sold out, you can search Hong Kong to Shenzhen to your destination. For same station transfer, you only need 45 minutes.

Trains to/from Guangzhou (Guangzhou South station)

Travel time is 50 minutes to one hour by bullet train with departures from 6h48 to 21h37. It has 34 pairs of trains per day

Price
Business class: ¥432
1st class ¥261/¥323
2nd class ¥187/¥215

Guangzhou South station is an important hub where one can transfer to a large number of trains to many destinations. It has more connections than via Shenzhen. A large number of trains depart from Guangzhou South station, which can facilitate your travel schedule. For same station transfer, you only need 45 minutes. From the Guangzhou south station you can transfer to popular destinations such as Yangshuo, Guilin and Chengdu.

Long distance

The Hong Kong-Beijing route has one pair of trains per day

Train #

Route

Dep.-Arr.

Travel time

G79

Beijing South - Hong Kong

10h00-18h58

8h58m

G80

Hong Kong - Beijing South

8h05-17h01

8h56m

Price
Business class: ¥3369
1st class: ¥1724
2nd class: ¥1077

The Hong Kong – Beijing high speed bullet train stops at Shenzhen North Station, Guangzhou South Station, Changsha South Station, Wuhan station, Zhengzhou East station, Shijiazhuang Station and Beijing west station. Zhengzhou is a where the famous Shaolin Temple is located and it is a good transfer station to Xi’An. Changsha is a good transfer option for going to Zhangjiajie. But note that Changsha to Zhangjiajie trains depart from the Changsha (main) station, you need to keep 2 hours in between as you transfer between different stations.

Shangrao is a good transfer option for going to Huangshan (yellow mountain)

The Hong Kong to Kunming route has one pair of trains per day

Train #

Route

Dep.-Arr.

Travel time

G312/3

Hong Kong - Kunming

12h06-1944

7h38m

G314/1

Kunming - Hong Kong

9h19-16h54

7h35m

Business class: ¥2287
First class: ¥1220
Second class: ¥750.5

Hong Kong to Kunming high speed bullet trains stop at Shenzhen North Station, Humen, Guangzhou South Station, Guilin West station, Guiyang North station, and Kunming South station

You can book Hong Kong to Guilin high-speed bullet train or Hong Kong to Guiyang high speed bullet trains directly. However, transfers via Guangzhou will give you more options.

Other trains

There are also some trains to Changsha or Xiamen.

Schedules and prices are subject to change. Consult our website at www.china-diy-travel.com for up to date information. Click here to see the full initial schedule with all stops. For up to date schedules, use the search tool of our website.

How to clear immigration?

Hong Kong exit immigration as well as China’s entry immigration are conducted in Hong Kong. So, for Hong Kong to mainland China, the immigration is prior to boarding the train. For mainland China to Hong Kong, the immigration is after you arrive in Hong Kong.

When departing from Hong Kong

Level B1: you pick up train ticket

Level B3: you first pass Hong Kong exit procedures and then move to China immigration

Level B4: The platform for train departure

The immigration authority says it will take 20 minutes to go through the immigration procedures. However, we suggest that you arrive at the train station 1 hour 30 minutes prior to your departure. During important holidays, you need to be there earlier.

When arriving in Hong Kong, immigration is on level B2.

High-speed bullet trains are safe, mostly on time and comfortable, making them the first choice when looking at trips out of Hong Kong to China.

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Comments

Joyce Leung, a Shanghai-based marketing professional, is willing to give the new high-speed connection from Hong Kong a try, after experiencing first-hand how trains can be a lifesaver when torrential rains led to multiple flight delays during a recent work trip to Beijing.